Meta launches standalone AI app built with Llama 4

Meta has released a new standalone AI app that enables users to interact with its Meta AI assistant via voice and text. The app is built on the company’s latest language model, Llama 4, and is being positioned as an early step toward creating more context-aware and personalised interactions with users.

The Meta AI assistant has previously been available across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. With this new app, users can engage in conversations with the AI in a dedicated interface and switch between voice and text as needed.

Full-duplex speech technology

According to the company, the app features an experimental voice interaction system using full-duplex speech technology, which allows for more natural back-and-forth conversations without waiting for pauses. While voice-based AI interaction isn’t new, this approach removes the turn-taking usually required in typical voice assistant setups.

In the latest development, Meta is releasing this demo feature in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The assistant does not access real-time information or the web in voice mode, and the company acknowledges that users may experience some technical inconsistencies during this testing phase.

Personalisation is the USP

In a move to encourage personalised responses, users who connect their Facebook and Instagram profiles through the Meta Accounts Centre will benefit as the assistant can incorporate information such as profile data and content engagement history to tailor its replies. Users can also explicitly tell Meta AI what to remember, such as interests or habits, to help refine future interactions.

However, this personalisation feature is currently limited to the US and Canada.

Integration across devices

The Meta AI app is also being integrated with other Meta hardware and services. Users of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses will now manage their devices through the app, replacing the existing Meta View app. Conversations started on the glasses can be continued in the app or on the web, though the reverse is not yet supported.

The app also includes a Discover feed where users can view AI prompts shared by others, modify them, or share their own. Nothing is publicly visible unless a user chooses to post it.

Additionally, Meta has included privacy controls. A visual indicator shows when the microphone is active, and users can choose whether voice interaction is enabled by default.